Along gun is a category offirearms with longbarrels. Insmall arms, along gun orlongarm is generally designed to be held by both hands and braced against the shoulder, in contrast to ahandgun, which can be fired being held with a single hand. In the context ofcannons andmounted firearms, anartillerylong gun would be contrasted with afield gun orhowitzer.[1][2]
The actual length of the barrels of a long gun is subject to various laws in many jurisdictions, mainly concerning minimum length, sometimes as measured in a specific position or configuration. TheNational Firearms Act in the United States sets a minimum length of 16 inches (41 cm) forrifle barrels and 18 inches (46 cm) forshotgun barrels. Canada sets a minimum of 18.5 inches (47 cm) for either. In addition, Canada sets a minimum fireable length for long guns with detachable or foldingstocks 26 inches (66 cm).[3] In the United States, the minimum length for long guns with detachable or folding stocks is 26 inches (66 cm) with the stock in the extended position.
Examples of various classes of small arms generally considered long arms include, but are not limited toshotguns,personal defense weapons,submachine guns,carbines,assault rifles,designated marksman rifles,sniper rifles,anti-material rifles,light machine guns,medium machine guns, andheavy machine guns.
Almost all long arms have front grips (forearms) and shoulder stocks, which provide the user the ability to hold the firearm more steadily than a handgun. In addition, the longbarrel of a long gun usually provides a longer distance between thefront and rear sights, providing the user with more precision when aiming. The presence of a stock makes the use of atelescopic sight orred dot sight easier than with a handgun.
Themass of a long gun is usually greater than that of a handgun, making the long gun more expensive to transport, and more difficult and tiring to carry. The increasedmoment of inertia makes the long gun slower and more difficult totraverse and elevate, and it is thus slower and more difficult to adjust the aim. However, this also results in greaterstability in aiming. The greater amount of material in a long gun tends to make it more expensive to manufacture, other factors being equal. The greater size makes it more difficult to conceal, and more inconvenient to use in confined quarters, as well as requiring larger storage space.[4]
As long guns include a stock that is braced against the shoulder, therecoil when firing is transferred directly into the body of the user. This allows better control of aim than handguns, which do not include stock, and thus all their recoil must be transferred to the arms of the user. It also makes it possible to manage larger amounts of recoil without damage or loss of control; in combination with the higher mass of long guns, this means morepropellant (such asgunpowder) can be used and thus larger projectiles can be fired at highervelocities. This is one of the main reasons for the use of long guns over handguns—faster or heavier projectiles help with penetration and accuracy over longer distances.
Shotguns are long guns that are designed to fire many small projectiles at once. This makes them very effective at close ranges, but with diminished usefulness at long ranges, even withshotgun slugs they are mostly only effective to about 100 yd (91 m).
In historicalnavy usage, along gun was the standard type ofcannon mounted by a sailing vessel, called such to distinguish it from the much shortercarronades. In informal usage, the length was combined with the weight of the shot, yielding terms like "long 9s", referring to full-length cannons firing a 9-pound round shot.
The dictionary definition oflong gun at Wiktionary